November 2023

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November 2023

McKenny Hawks Are Kind, Safe, Respectful and Responsible


Upcoming Events:

  • 1 - First Day of American Indian Heritage Month
  • 1 - Walk N Roll
  • 5 - Daylight Savings Time Ends  (Set Clocks Back 1 Hour)
  • 7 - Election Day
  • 8 - Veterans Day Assembly @ 1:05 p.m.
  • 9 - Picture Retakes
  • 9 - School Board Meeting Knox Bldg or via Zoom @ 6:30 p.m.
  • 10 - Veterans Day Observed - No School
  • 11 - Veterans Day
  • 14 - PTO Meeting  McKenny Library @ 6:30 p.m.
  • 16 - 4th Grade Field Trip to Kennedy Creek
  • 17 - PTO Movie Night @ 6:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
  • 22 - 24 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
  • 23 - Thanksgiving Day
  • 24 - Native American Heritage Day

Walk N Roll - November 1st

Our school hosts a Walk N Roll event one day each month.  These are optional days that students can bike or walk to and from school, and once they arrive, can receive special prizes. Please wear helmets when riding, and make sure students are crossing roads safely.  Walking or biking to school is not only amazing for your health, but it is also helpful to the environment! 

Food Break Message for families:

We recognize that some families would benefit from additional food support during school breaks. The Olympia School District is partnering with 4 the Love Foundation and the Olympia Education Foundation to provide extra food support for families during our fall/winter breaks. Families who need extra support in November can request a food basket.

 

If your family is in need of extra support, please complete this Google form to provide us with more information: Food Support for November. 

 

If your family is able to contribute to the efforts of our community partners, please donate to the Olympia Education Foundation and 4 the Love. 
The deadline for requests is: November 3rd, 2023

 

If you have questions, please contact your Family Liaison, Maria (Charo) Garcia, at [email protected].

News from the PTO

PTO Meeting Tuesday November 14th 6:30-8:00pm:

Please join us in the school library or on Zoom to hear updates from Principal Havens, share your thoughts about our events, and fundraising, and help make decisions about how best to support our students and staff. 

Movie Night Friday November 17th 6:15-8:30pm:

Get ready for a fun night as the PTO is excited to present Sonic The Hedgehog for the first movie night of the school year! Doors will open at 6:15pm. Please register online before the event by clicking here,  where you will also find more details on this event.  

Read-A-Thon:

You all are doing a super job reading so far! Please help us meet our goal of $6,000 so that we can support our library with new books, the McKenny running club, as well as our student access to classroom online learning modules. Read-a-thon ends on Friday November 10th and packets are due Monday November 13th. Be sure to submit your minutes to be eligible to win a prize! (You can register online for easy donating by credit card at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/hawks2023.) Students can turn their Read-a-thon packets (minutes/donations) into their teacher or submit their minutes by visiting bit.ly/read2023read. 


Please visit our website for all the latest information at mckennypto.org and be sure to follow us on social media. 
Instagram: @McKennyHawksPTO 
Facebook: McKennyHawksPTO
 

Principal’s Corner

As we enter the month of November, once again I want to share with you how grateful I am to be a part of the McKenny family. 

Every single day, I get to witness the kindness with which students treat each other in class, in the hallways, in the lunchroom, and on the playground. In small ways, and large, students are accepting of others, supportive of their peers, and interested in learning about what makes each student unique and special. Sure, there are times when some of the children need some guidance and support in this area, but that is what we do and we are encouraged by the growth we see.

Every single day, I see students challenging themselves academically, showing grit, determination and perseverance to learn as much as possible about all topics at school.

Every single day, I see teachers and staff members working tremendously hard to help students grow both academically and socially. The dedication of our staff members, even with large class sizes and full lunch rooms, astounds me. I am so grateful for what they do with students and families day in and day out.

Every single day, I see parents, grandparents, relatives and friends greeting the children after school with smiles and love. And every single day, I communicate with parents who are true advocates for their children and hold our school to a high standard, which is appreciated.

 

And finally, every single day, we experience the benefits of the support we receive from our amazing PTO. Your participation in, and support of PTO efforts such as Read-a-Thon, Trunk or Treat, and the upcoming Boosterthon, make it possible for our school to provide amazing experiences for our students and opportunities for our staff members. Thank you for the contributions you make.

With Gratitude,

Michael Havens



McKenny Elementary School Schedule


Grades K to 5 8:30 a.m.—2:45 p.m. 
AM Preschool 8:30—11:00 a.m. 
PM Preschool 12:15—2:45 p.m. 
Early Release Every Wednesday 1:55 p.m.  (No preschool) 
Half Day Dismissal 11:35 a.m.  (No preschool)